Three Fact Fader
Encyclopedia
Three Fact Fader is the second full-length studio album by British
shoegazing
band Engineers
, released on July 6, 2009 through the Kscope
label. The album was produced by the band along with Ken Thomas, who also worked with Sigur Rós
, M83
and Maps
, with artwork created by Tom Sheehan.
To start promoting the record, the band played their first live gig in over two years on July 10, 2009 at the Bush Hall in London
. They were joined onstage by special guest Ulrich Schnauss
. Richard Barbieri
of British progressive rock
group Porcupine Tree
also performed that night.
The Three Fact Fader minisite
was set up by Kscope containing information about the album. A single for "Clean Coloured Wire" was released on July 20, 2009, and a video clip for the song was released through the minisite to accompany the single. The minisite also includes an excerpt of a remix of the song "Sometimes I Realise" by British musician
, record producer
, and Kscope label founder Steven Wilson
.
The entire album was available for streaming through the website of NME
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
band Engineers
Engineers (band)
Engineers are a British shoegazing/dream pop band. The band was formed in London in 2003 by singer/guitarist Simon Phipps, bassist/guitarist/keyboardist Mark Peters, bassist/guitarist Dan MacBean, and drummer Andrew Sweeney...
, released on July 6, 2009 through the Kscope
Kscope
Kscope is a division or sub-label of independent record label Snapper Music dedicated to artists in the Post-Progressive genre.Artists that the label has issued albums for to date include Anathema, Anekdoten, Engineers, Lunatic Soul, No-Man, North Atlantic Oscillation, Nosound, Porcupine Tree,...
label. The album was produced by the band along with Ken Thomas, who also worked with Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
, M83
M83 (band)
M83 is a musical act by French musician Anthony Gonzalez. It is named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83. The band was founded in 2001 by Gonzalez and former member Nicolas Fromageau in Antibes, France...
and Maps
Maps (band)
-Start Something:In 2006, he recorded his Start Something EP by himself on his 16-track recorder. He released it on his own record label, Last Space Recordings, and it was met with some critical acclaim. The single "Lost My Soul" polled at No. 26 in NMEs top 50 singles of 2006.-We Can Create:On 19...
, with artwork created by Tom Sheehan.
To start promoting the record, the band played their first live gig in over two years on July 10, 2009 at the Bush Hall in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They were joined onstage by special guest Ulrich Schnauss
Ulrich Schnauss
-Biography:Ulrich Schnauss was born in the northern German seaport of Kiel in 1977. He became interested in a range of music: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Tangerine Dream, Chapterhouse, and early bleep & breakbeat tracks...
. Richard Barbieri
Richard Barbieri
Richard Barbieri, is an English synthesiser player, keyboardist and composer. He was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London...
of British progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
also performed that night.
The Three Fact Fader minisite
Minisite
A minisite is a website by which companies offer information about one specific product or product group. Typically, a minisite is enhanced by various multimedia content, such as an animated, narrated introduction, and accompanied by a visual scheme which complements the product well.For example, a...
was set up by Kscope containing information about the album. A single for "Clean Coloured Wire" was released on July 20, 2009, and a video clip for the song was released through the minisite to accompany the single. The minisite also includes an excerpt of a remix of the song "Sometimes I Realise" by British musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and Kscope label founder Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
.
The entire album was available for streaming through the website of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
.
Track listing
- Track 1 incorporates a sample of "Watussi" from the first HarmoniaHarmonia (band)Harmonia is a Krautrock supergroup from Germany. They formed as a collaboration between Michael Rother of Neu! and Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Möbius of Cluster and later included the British musician Brian Eno.-Musical style:...
album Musik Von HarmoniaMusik Von HarmoniaMusik Von Harmonia is the debut album from the highly influential Krautrock/Kosmische Musik group Harmonia. Harmonia, was formed by the addition of Neu! guitarist Michael Rother to Cluster, the duo of Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius....
, written by Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Dieter MoebiusDieter MoebiusDieter Moebius is a German/Swiss experimental/krautrock/ambient/electronic musician.Moebius studied art in Brussels and Berlin and met there Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Conrad Schnitzler . They founded a band Kluster in 1969. After the departure of Schnitzler, they changed their name to Cluster...
, and Michael RotherMichael RotherMichael Rother is a German experimental Krautrock musician and composer.- Early life and education :Born in 1950, Rother went to school in Munich, Wilmslow , Karachi, and Düsseldorf. He also lived in Pakistan in the early 1960s where he was exposed to Pakistani music that would influence his own...
.
Singles
- "Clean Coloured Wire" (July 20, 2009)
- "Clean Coloured Wire" (Radio Edit)
- "Clean Coloured Wire" (SeriousMusic 438 kHz Mix)
- "Be What You Are" (Chicken Feed Remix)
- "Sometimes I Realise" (Steven Wilson Remix)
- "What Pushed Us Together" (December 7, 2009)
- "What Pushed Us Together"
- "What Pushed Us Together" (A Ricardo Tobar Remix)
Musicians
- Simon Phipps – lead vocals, guitars
- Mark Peters – guitars, bass, programming and backing vocals
- Dan MacBean – guitars, keyboards programming and bass
- Andrew Sweeney – drums and backing vocals
Producers
- Produced and mixed by Ken Thomas and Engineers.
- Assisted by Ben Hampson, Jeff Knowler, and Ben Thackerey.
- Track 6 mixed by Engineers and Ben Thackerey; additional mixing by Ken Thomas.
- Tracks 12 and 13 produced and mixed by Mark Peters and Dan MacBean; assisted by Fred Vessey.
- Recorded at Rockfield Studio, Wales; Jacob's Studios, Surrey; and Engineers Studio, Rainford, Merseyside.
- Mixed at Miloco's Engine Room, London.
- Tracks 12 and 13 mixed at Brittania Row Studio, London.
- String quartet on tracks 4, 10, and 11 arranged by Mark Peters and Dan MacBean; recorded at Townhouse Studios, London.
- Mastered by John Davis at Alchemy; except for tracks 12 and 13 mastered by Dick Beeson at 360 Mastering.
Graphic artists
- Tom Sheehan – cover photography and concept
- Justin Lambert – press photography
- Engineers – other photography
- Scott Robinson – other photography, website design, and CD package design